Deception
by cold as FIRE
Summary: Ty Lee, Azula, and Mai's days in the Fire Nation Academy for Girls. A dead body, a framing, and a surprising ending to be revealed. This story was stopped being written around Chapter 4, but is now being continued after supposed praise. Ty Lee Zuko.
1. Chapter 1

"Wake up, Ty Lee!" Shaylin, Ty Lee's thirteen-year-old sister Shaylin shouted as the sun rose. "Ugh," Ty Lee thought, "Could this girl bother me anymore? She knows I need my beauty sleep!" Ty Lee picked up her pillow and threw it at Shaylin. She giggled and ran out of the room, avoiding anymore danger Ty Lee may throw out to her. Ty Lee slipped into her silk robe, a gift from her father, and walked out of her room. As she went to use the shower room, it was locked, Shaylin was using up the bathroom as usual. "COME ON, SHAYLIN!" Ty Lee nearly screamed at her after five minutes of waiting to bathe. "You are such a pest!" Ty Lee stormed off and went to eat breakfast. As she stepped off the last step of the stairs, she walked into the dining room where she saw her father eating breakfast. It was no secret that being her father's first born daughter made her a little more special in his eyes than Shaylin. "Good morning baby girl," her father said to her with a smile on his face. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not exactly father," Ty Lee said with a hint of attitude in her voice, "Shaylin was up all night giggling to something, and now she is hogging up the shower, as usual."

"Ah," he said, "My two girls, at it again." Yes, it was a normal beginning to a school day in Ty Lee's house.

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As she arrived at the Fire Academy for Girls, Ty Lee met up with her friends Azula and Mai. Only moving to the Fire Nation's capital a year ago, Mai was still quite reserved, and preferred having silence than noise. Azula, on the other hand, like being the best, controlling people in order to get what she wanted. Although she had these somewhat denouncing attributes, their fathers were all friends, making the three girls friends as well. Ty Lee watched as Shaylin ran off to a group of girls, laughing about something. Ty Lee wondered if they were laughing at her, although Shaylin didn't have much to laugh at. Her mother and father were both attractive people, thus so were Ty Lee and Shaylin. Some would say one was more attractive than the other, but it depended on the person. Ty Lee straightened her Academy dress, required by dress code, and said to Mai, "So, how was your night? Did you finish your research on the beginning of the Fire Nation?"

"Yes, it was quite interesting." Mai said with little emotion. Ty Lee smiled at her friend, trying to indirectly tell her that it was okay to talk with her, considering they have known each other for a year now. It was now Azula who spoke and said, "Ty Lee, do you think you could lay off the tea? It seems to make you very peppy." Ty Lee didn't drink tea in the morning, but it was a true accusation that she was peppy. While she was talking with the girls, she almost never stopped moving, and being an active acrobat who practiced everyday, she never really got tired either. "Oh Azula," Ty Lee laughed, " You only wish you had my energy." Azula smirked and shoved Ty Lee in a joking manner. "It is true," Azula said, "I wish to be exactly like Ty Lee someday!" The girls laughed, including Mai, who secretly loved hanging out with Ty Lee and Azula.

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The morning's classes passed, and lunch had come and gone. Ty Lee always met up with Azula during the class after lunch, because it was one of the only classes with Azula she took. The class was acrobatics, and quite frankly, Ty Lee was scoring higher and showing better performance than Azula was. Guaranteed Azula was a better fighter than she, but Ty Lee was more graceful and flexible than her, and Azula envied her.

"So, how is your cute brother?" Ty Lee giggled poking Azula in the shoulder. Ty Lee had never met Zuko, but from a drawing that Azula and her family had painted for them, Ty Lee could tell Zuko was quite the looker.

"Dream on, Ty Lee," Azula said rolling her eyes. "He is two years older than us. Do you think he would give you a chance?"

Putting on her gym suit, Ty Lee said, "Well, I can be very convincing if I want something enough!" She braided her hair and winked at Azula, "And being friends with you gives me a shoe in!" She skipped into the gym and Azula though, "Wow. Yet another one of my friends falling for my older brother." She shook her head and followed Ty Lee into the gym, preparing to be shown up, as usual.

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Tired from Acrobatics, Ty Lee could hardly focus on the last class of the day. It was very warm in the class, because during winter, the Fire Nation officials made sure that every school was heated properly, even too much so.

After listening to her teacher drone on and on about the history of the Fire Nation, and after day dreaming about the boys that she had befriended through a co-ed Acrobatics club, someone knocked on the class door and asked for her to come to the office.

"We are looking for a Ty Lee," The messenger said, "The Headmistress would like to speak to you about something: something urgent."

"Oh," Ty Lee said nervously, "Alright."

Not knowing if she was in trouble about something that she possibly did without knowing, Ty Lee walked nervously down the hallway behind the woman, who she thought was the Headmistress' assistant, and she said, "Don't worry Ty Lee, everything is going to be okay." With that, they arrived at the Headmistress' office and the woman left her. As she entered the room, the Headmistress said with somewhat of a hint of sorrow in her voice, "Please, sit down Ty Lee."

As Ty Lee sat, the Headmistress said, " I have some bad news to tell you," Ty Lee looked at her with eagerness, awaiting for what could be so horrible that would pull her out of class, "Your sister Shaylin," She said, almost seeming ages before she completed the sentence, " was found dead in a cleaning closet, with a knife shoved through her throat."

With this, Ty Lee broke down, and the next thing she knew, was that she was in her father's arms, he whispered in her ear, "Everything is going to be alright baby girl," tears streaming from both of their eyes.

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R&R.R&R.R&R! I may be focusing more on this story than Things Change, because I actually definitely know where this story is going, and it should be around 10 Chapters. Pleaaaaaaaase R&R, I absolutely love this storyline! Hope you didn't find it too boring. :D


	2. Chapter 2

The day of the death, school was buzzing with rumors of the incident. Talk of murder and suicide were spreading throughout the school faster than wildfire. The night before, Ty Lee didn't sleep at all, she couldn't truly forgive herself for making her last interaction with Shaylin a negative one. Her father had told her she didn't have to go to school, but she didn't want to seem like a person who couldn't handle a problem when one came. So, she readied herself as usual, showering, brushing her hair, and getting dressed. Today she wore a dark black kimono-like dress, showing that she did show remorse for her sister. As she walked out of the house to the carriage that took her to the academy, her father said, "I am very proud of the way you are handling this," and with watering eyes he added, "Shaylin would be delighted to know that you aren't mortified by this experience, she would have wanted you to move on." Ty Lee simply nodded and left, ready for what the day may bring her.

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Right before her first period, Ty Lee had received many gestures of kindness, fruit baskets, condolence cards, and hugs from her friends, and even some people she did not recognize. Ty Lee wasn't depressed, it was just that she felt shocked in what had happened. As the bell started to chime, Mai darted into the room, panting such as she had ran a long distance. "Why do you seem so rushed?" Ty Lee asked, with a quizzical look.

"Um..Well, I cannot seem to find out where my History or Poetry scrolls have disappeared to." Mai said with desperation, considering the current class they were in was Writing, and their current sectin of study was Poetry.

"Perhaps you've left it at home?" Ty Lee suggested.

"I guess.." Mai exclaimed.

As the class started, the Professor acknowledged the loss of Shaylin, and that everybody wishes Ty Lee the utmost respect and shares her sorrow in the young girl. The Professor taught the class about limericks, short poems that every other line rhymed, while the other set of every other lines rhymed as well. Ty Lee wouldn't know this, because her normal daydreams about boys and fantasy had been replaced with curiosity of her sister's mysterious death, and the words of the Headmistress played over and over again in her head. 'Tomorrow, more information will be released to you and your father. Until then, Ty Lee.' Up until that point of the day when the messenger summoned her to the office would those words be said in her head.

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During Acrobatics, Ty Lee was not her usual self. She didn't feel like bending her body and showing up the class with her expertise. Azula, noticing this as a sign that something was wrong, reluctantly went over to where Ty Lee was sitting out and started talking with her.

"Hey," Azula said, "I am so sorry about Shay..she didn't deserve what happened to her."

"Thank you," Ty Lee said sheepishly, "but I just don't understand." Ty Lee leaned her head on Azula's shoulder and wept a little, and in an attempt to make her friend feel better, Azula said, "If it makes you feel any better, Zuko said he wants to hang out with you sometime!" Ty Lee just smiled, she was glad her friend truly cared about her enough to try to make her laugh.

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The time had come when the Assistant Headmistress retrieved Ty Lee and took her to the office. As Ty Lee sat, the Headmistress explained to her that what she was about to tell her was already sent to her father, so that if she has any further questions, she can consult the letter itself.

" I called you here today because the Fire Nation's investigators have found the contents of the room in which Shaylin was killed. There was four materials." The Headmistress said.

"Go on," Ty Lee said, eagerness growing inside of her.

"There was obviously a knife, but there was also some type of ripped cloth and, sadly, two of Mai's school books, whom I believe is your friend."

"You say sadly," Ty Lee questioned, "Why?"

" I say sadly because your friend will be taken as a suspect, and she will not be able to attend this school until her name is cleared. As we speak officials are taking her away to the central of the Nation's Capital." The Headmistress informed Ty Lee.

" This is obsurd!" Ty Lee protested, "Mai wouldn't even think of doing such a thing!"

"Well," The Headmistress said, " You never truly know who your real friends are until their flaws seriously come out."

With that, the Headmistress dismissed Ty Lee and she began to walk out the door. Just as she was about to shut it, the Headmistress added one more segment to the information she had been pouring out to Ty Lee, "By the way," She said, "I figured you wouldn't want to be surprised when it happened, so I am informing you that tomorrow this school will be shut down for further examination concerning the death of your sister, and all students here will be transfered to the Fire Academy for Boys, temporarily. Until we speak again, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee walked out, wondering what mysteries would be revealed, and what would bring to going to the school where Azula's intriguing brother attended.

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PLEEEEEEEEASE R&R! Loved it? Hated it? Can't wait for more? Leave your thoughts in a review! They are HIGHLY appreciated . Hope you enjoyed the chapter, hopefully Chapter Three soon! -JACK!


	3. Chapter 3

'Today will be a fun day," Ty Lee thought. All she really had to do today was go to the Fire Academy for Boys, spend half the day getting to know the place, and getting the rest of the day off. It was all good, and on top of everything, Ty Lee got to meet Zuko today, whom she made Azula PROMISE to introduce her to. She decided that what her father had told her before was true, Shaylin would have wanted her to be happy and move on with life, which Ty Lee intended. After the shock of Shay's death had gone away, Ty Lee became closer to her normal self, although she felt that she needed to depend on others a little bit, but she went back to her somewhat peppy self. Nothing had happened differently in the morning before school, her father had taken the day off and slept in, leaving Ty Lee alone to ready herself for the day. Azula's personal carriage had picked her up to drive her to the Academy. Ty Lee thought that she would finally meet Azula's highly praised brother in the carriage, but she was disappointed to find out that he jogged to school everyday to keep fit. Ty Lee sighed when she found that out, but then she thought about how having a fit boy would be better than having a flabby one; she giggled to herself. As the two drove past Mai's house, Ty Lee could she her parents through the window of the one story house. They were sitting at the dining room table, and it looked as if her mother was crying and her father was trying to comfort her. Ty Lee spoke up, " I still cannot believe the convicted Mai for the crime, although her books were found at the scene."

"That is true," Azula added, "But you must admit it makes Mai seem very suspicious.."

"I guess I can agree with that," Ty Lee thought for a moment, " If you think about it, we don't know exactly too much involving Mai; she never really talks much."

"Except for that one time, " Azula grinned, " Remember when I spiked her tea with cactus juice?"

Ty Lee guiltily laughed, "Yes, but for some reason it made Mai spill all her dirty little secrets, instead of making her feel insane like it does to most people."

Azula and Ty Lee laughed as they remembered the good times they had with Mai, but oh how things would change.

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The Fire Academy for Boys had more of a tense atmosphere than the Academy for Girls, but once inside, Ty Lee discovered that it was quite laid back, and the boys literally ran through the hallways, tossing things, shouting to each other, and even fighting, but she couldn't tell if that was real or play fighting. Honestly, she didn't care what kind of fighting it was, because almost all of the boys that attended the Academy for Boys were quite attractive. There was one boy in particular that she found quite appealing, but those feelings rushed out of her quickly after she caught the boys attention, and within two minutes of conversation, he tried kissing her neck. Out of frustration, she sent a front kick to the place where it hurts the most. With a proud smirk, she said, "Mess with me, buddy."

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As the day progressed, Ty Lee learned where all of her classes were, and basically, her schedule wasn't that difficult to follow. It was the last hour of the day before the early release, and Ty Lee was much excited. She ran over to Azula, who would be in her History class, along with Zuko, at the end of each day.

Ty Lee excitedly giggled, "Is he going to be here?"

"No, he has the flu to day." Azula said, clearly sarcastic.

"WHAT?!" Ty Lee said, "I thought you said he ran here?!"

Azula grimaced, " I was only joking Ty Lee. Get ahold of yourself, here he comes."

As Zuko slowly walked over then, Ty Lee nearly melted inside. He shyly approached them, and Ty Lee felt like taking control of him, as the one other student had tried to do to her earlier. He was dressed in a white shirt with the Fire Academy symbol embedded on the left side of the shirt. The shirt also revealed his muscles, which were, according to Ty Lee's thoughts, desirable. His pants were baggier, and he had a slender figure, Ty Lee looked away from him, not wanting to seem like she was staring at him. After taking what seemed like ages to Ty Lee, Zuko finally was within touching distance and said, "Hey."

Ty Lee barely could say anything back, but awkwardly stuck out her hand and said, "Hi! My name is Ty Lee, you must be Zuko, Azula has told me so much about you!"

As he shook her hand, she felt his unusual warmth against her own hand, "Has she now.." Zuko said.

Azula rolled her eyes as Ty Lee, obviously infatuated by Zuko, said, " Oh but of course they were all good things!" She gave Zuko a smile and he blushed, but he glanced away, not wanting Ty Lee to see that he found her extremely good looking, and he was taking to her perky personality.

Throughout the rest of the explanation of the class, Ty Lee and Zuko stoke conversation about the weirdest things, only things that two people who were dumbstruck by the other would talk about. Azula had to slap Ty Lee on the shoulder many times, because she would laugh at jokes of Zuko's and Azula knew that they weren't that funny.

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As the day ended, Zuko offered to walk Ty Lee home, and knowing that it would be a long walk, she gladly accepted his invitation. The walk consisted of many flirtacious actions, including the current soves back and forth between the two, and ending with a hug, which made Ty Lee's day.

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Sorry for the short, probably boring, chapter!! I promise, the story WILL get better though. It will be amazing. R&R! R&R! R&R! PLZZ. lol. Hope you did like it though. :)


	4. Chapter 4

The next weekend had gone great for Ty Lee, it immensely made her outlook on life happier, even though Shaylin had left her. Azula had invited her over for a sleepover, and she, Azula, and Zuko sat around the campfire until early the next morning, talking about various things from class courses to second cousins. Ty Lee learned that Zuko was the captain of the Cuju Team at the Fire Academy. Cuju was a sport that used a leather ball made from the skins of an animal, and it was meant to be shot into the other teams goal by using your own skill or your bending ability, sometimes the combination of both. It was important for Zuko to be the captain, but his grades were also important to him as well, he aced every single one of his classes. Once you got to know Zuko, he climbed out of his somewhat shy shell and opened up a bit to you. Ty Lee also learned that the reason that some of the boys in the Academy had shaggy hair was because they were on the Cuju team, and it was hard to play with a long pony-tail whipping your face all the time. By now, Ty Lee had for sure gained feelings for Zuko, and although she didn't know it, so did he for her. He found Ty Lee beautiful, and if he could pick one girl to be with, it would be her.

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The following school day, Ty Lee went through her schedule with ease, and during the her acrobatics class, there was a surprise.

As Ty Lee left the changing room in her new, tight fit pink gym suit, she saw no one other than Zuko standing in shorts and a muscle shirt. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw him, but as he smiled, it compelled her to come over to him.

"Hey Ty Lee, " he said, and Ty Lee didn't know if he was trying to use his charm on her, or if she honestly was just that caught up in him.

"Hi Zuko," Ty Lee said, "You are in my Acrobatics class?"

"Yeah, I transferred out of Weight Training for this," he said, "My coach said Acrobatics would help with my balance, along with my grace on the Cuju Field."

"Awe! Will that mean you will loose your muscles?" Ty Lee said while slightly squeezing his biceps and giggled.

Zuko turned a shade of red and exclaimed, " If you like them that much, I could allways use my Uncle's old workout set." He smiled and put his hand on Ty Lee's shoulder, "I am glad you are happy, or at least you seem happy despite of Shaylin.."

Ty Lee looked down for a second, and then looked him in the eyes and returned his smile, 'Oh how I wish I could just be lost forever in those eyes!' She thought. "I am glad, too." she said, "But, I am even happier that I've met you."

The two blushed, and the Acrobatics instructor shouted the class, "Everybody grab a partner to spot you while you are on the bars!"

Zuko shyly asked Ty Lee, "Be my partner?"

Not being able to refuse even if she wanted to, Ty Lee said, " Of course!"

As the two walked to the bar in the far corner, Ty Lee swiftly jumped and grabbed hold of the bar firmly with her hands. "I don't usually fall, " she said, "But you can keep your eyes on me anyways!"

"No problem," Zuko said, grinning. Surprisingly, Ty Lee did fall, but Zuko caught her, and the warmth from his arms made Ty Lee feel a rush throughout her body. He set her on the ground and his big hands moved slowly across her body, feeling everything from her breasts to her waist, and then he lifted her back up onto the bar. Ty Lee felt a rush of warmth in her face as she felt a little uncomfortable with what had just happened, although she liked it quite much. Ty Lee, wanting to mystify Zuko with her Acrobatic skill, leaped to another bar, and doing a handstand on top of the second bar, but feeling something she hadn't felt before, she let herself fall from the bar, having Zuko catch her again, and as long as the teacher wasn't watching, she was sure there would be a lot more touching as the class progressed.

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The school day had ended and Azula had offered Ty Lee a ride home, and she accepted with excitement, only to find that Zuko would be staying after school for Cuju practice. At that news Ty Lee sighed and said, "Dang it! I bet he takes his shirt off during practice!"

In turn, Azula sighed as well, "You are too obsessive Ty Lee," she said, "And anyways, I have more important news to tell you."

Ty Lee could see the sorrow in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced with disappointment, "Mai was sent to prison in the center of the Capital."

"Why? I thought she wouldn't be sent away unless there was exact evidence that she indeed killed Shay.." Ty Lee said with frustration.

"Well, that is exactly it, " Azula explained, " All evidence points to her and they think it would be safer for the bigger population if she was locked up, and she will be until, unless, there is further examination on the death."

Ty Lee fell silent and looked out the window. She wondered what Mai must be going through right now, that is unless she really did kill her little sister, and with that thought Ty Lee shed a tear.

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I know, I know, kind of a blah chapter but that is alright. It will lead to something better soon enough :) R&R. (or else!) lol. Please tell me your thoughts in a review!

THNX BUD: JACK!


	5. Chapter 5

[Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Air Bender, nor do I own any of the characters within the series. As much as I wish I did, I don't :

Side Note: It has been nearly more months than it should have been that I am finally updating this. I don't think my writing was all that good while I was writing this, so I hope that my starting to continue and finish this story will prove to be a step up from my old writing. I hope all of you who were reading this come back to find out the ending, because I assure you that I will stick with this this time. Hopefully.

**Chapter Five: The Start of Something New.**

After hearing of the news of Mai's imprisonment, Ty Lee didn't exactly take to it well. Sure, she tried to pull it off as if it was no big deal, but what bothered her the most was that someone she had known for a year, grown close to, and tried to get to open up to her may have murdered her sister. But, why? None of this made any sense to Ty Lee, and this whole experience felt as if it was changing her increasingly as the days went by. It was apparent that her normal peppiness was dying down a bit, but, of course, it was still there, living strongly.

After Azula had dropped Ty Lee at her house, she simply strolled around her father's property, sitting peacefully on a bench between two cherry blossom trees, which weren't at all colorful at the moment, due to it being winter. Naturally, a human would be cold at this time of year, but people of the Fire Nation always felt a certain .. heat, within them. Whether it be temperature wise or a different kind of heat, it always seemed to be present. However, matching the current weather, Ty Lee felt cold inside, nothing being able to spark any idea to how her sister could have died. Well, of course, she knew how it happened, but Shaylin, although annoying at times, was a pleasant girl, popular among the boys, and she possessed a certain quality that just made her, well, likable. At home, she was her father's little girl, and she would always do her best to live up to his expectation, as well as Ty Lee. The two had fought constantly, as any pair of sisters would, but they always shared a special bond, which Ty Lee now wished she could have acknowledged earlier, because there was no more time to be spent with Shaylin. She simply sat on the bench, looking down, thinking over everything that had happened in the past few days. Everything was happening so rapidly, and she truly didn't know when things would be back to normal.. or, at least, better, in a way.

For some reason, her thoughts strayed to Zuko, and how he had made her feel .. happy, when he was around her. Sure, the two committed some shameless flirting, but it was just how the two got along. Ty Lee was glad that she could maintain her normal personality around her friends, though; indeed, it just seemed that she felt extremely sad by herself, when there was no one to distract her from the thoughts that ran through her head involving her sister, her father, and her friends.

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As for Azula, after she dropped Ty Lee off at her humble abode, she went home as well, heading straight for her studies forthwith. An acclaimed perfectionist, Azula always wanted to do her homework and projects perfectly and concisely, with as little effort as possible. She took pride in her work, whatever it be, and it always turned out in her liking.

This night, however, something was bothering her. It seemed that wherever Ty Lee went, she gained attention from the opposite sex, and it normally annoyed Azula. However, nothing annoyed Azula more, recently, than the fact that Ty Lee seemed to be aiming for her brother, which was definitely, in her mind, out of her league and totally inappropriate. If Ty Lee could gain any other guy, why would she ever go for Zuko? All he cared about was sports and gaining popularity for the things he was good at, and for his looks. It was almost as if Azula was jealous of her brother, as no one seemed to ever gain affection for her. This is why, once Zuko came home from his Cuju practice, that Azula confronted him immediately, in that pleasant, yet evil, way she always does.

"Zuko," She began walking toward him as he shut the door, throwing his Cuju equipment down onto the ground. "I need to talk to you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Zuko put his hands behind his head as if he was relaxing and responded, "Alright, Azula. Whatever it is, lay it on me quick. I'm not in the mood for one of your 'talking to's'." Smirking as Azula frowned, he made his way into the kitchen, picking up a piece of fruit from a bowl one of the servants must have put out, taking a loud, crunchy bite from it.

"Hmph," Azula said, annoyed. "Well, I really don't improve of you and Ty Lee talking to each other much. Flirting, most likely." If she knew Ty Lee, which she did, Azula knew that the acrobat would flirt with her brother, even if he should be considered out of her league.

"Yeah, so what if we flirt?" Zuko said, rolling his eyes. "You always get this way when I get a girlfriend or seem to like someone." Taking another bite of the fruit and swallowing it, he continued, "We're partners in Acrobatics class, so I guess there's nothing I can do about it.. Sorry Azula." He said this, of course, with sarcasm, as he wasn't sorry. He was beginning to like Ty Lee, in that way, too, and he wasn't going to let his sister control him yet again.

Azula began to argue, but before the words could escape her mouth, Zuko said, "You know, I really didn't get enough training today. I think I'm going to head off for a jog. See ya, 'Zula!" He grinned, still in his shorts and beater, jogging out of the house, the door slamming behind him.

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Ty Lee started for the door of her house, realizing it was getting somewhat late, which she hadn't really noticed. She was caught up in her reflection of things, and she was pretty sure she gained a headache from doing so. She absolutely hated headaches, because as much as she hated thinking, when she actually wanted to, her head ended up hurting. The acrobat wasn't exactly dumb, but she wasn't the brightest flame out there. This point in her life was challenging, though, so she could be excused from her almost absentmindedness and over-peppy behavior. Luckily for her, because that was how she almost always was.

Just as she had began to turn the door knob to the large, noble's estate, Ty Lee heard the soft pitter-pattering of feet across her walk, turning around to see no one other than the heir of the Fire Nation: Zuko. Blinking confused, she released her hand from the handle and inquired, "Zuko? What brings you here?"

He smiled at her, breathing somewhat deeply from his jog. His hair was somewhat wet with sweat, but she wasn't too grossed out about it, as his body was somewhat glistening too, which showed how hard he worked, even when his main practice was done. Catching up with his breath, Zuko started, "Oh.. Well, I was just on my nightly run, and I happened to come by your house.. And, uh.." Zuko wasn't exactly good at conversations, really. He either came off too strongly, or his tongue got tied and he couldn't think of what to say. This time, it was pretty much the latter.

"You..?" Ty Lee questioned, tilting her head somewhat to the side, her bangs falling to the right side of her face.

Zuko straightened himself out and tried to find the words, and he began and would hopefully be successful, "I.. I was wondering if, maybe sometime later, or after school tomorrow night, you'd like to.." He scratched the back of his head embarassed, his cheeks darkening in color as he attempted to ask the pretty acrobat out. He knew he could do it! All of his other friends had started dating, so why couldn't he? He really wanted to, and he somewhat felt a connection between Ty Lee, whether it be one-sided or mutual..

"Yes?" Ty Lee piped in again, brushing her bangs out of her face. She could somewhat tell where this was going, and a small smile had been placed upon her face, and her cheeks turned a light pink color as well, just not as much so as Zuko's.

"Would you be interested in going to Chiho's Sushi for a bite to eat tomorrow night?" He paused for her to answer, but he was so anxious that he just continued talking, blabbering on and on, "I mean, I've heard there are about a thousand different choices and everything seems good there.. and, hey! It'll all be on me! Their des-"

He was cut off, however, by Ty Lee's dainty finger being place on his mouth while she giggled softly. "There's no need to try and advertise the idea, Zuko.." Blushing a bit more, she gave him his highly anticipated answer, "I would have said yes, anyways!" She smiled pleasantly, removing her finger from his lips, the warmth still there, as her mind wandered to thoughts of what might happen on their date..

"Awesome!" Zuko said, giving her a wide grin, almost as if he couldn't be happier. Well, what would be better than a date with a really cute acrobat who happened to be one of the biggest flirts that he knew? Exactly. Nothing. Even though she was flirty, Ty Lee, once committed, would stay faithful, which Zuko could somewhat see by how she hadn't exactly been paying attention to the other guys at the Academy. He shook his head to himself, knowing that he should have been confident, as it seemed that Ty Lee would have inevitably said yes. "If I pick you up an hour or so after my Cuju practice, would that work out?"

Nodding happily, Ty Lee exclaimed, "Perfect! I'll see you at school tomorrow, then!" Flashing him one more quick smile and a wave before she entered her house, Ty Lee was feeling happy than she had just been after contemplating what was going on in her life only minutes ago. This just showed how easily Ty Lee's emotions could be brought up, or down.

As for Zuko, he began to jog home with that grin still plastered on his face. Not only was he defying his vindictive sister, but he finally was getting a chance to hang out with a girl all by himself that he was pretty sure he had developed feelings for.

--

Sitting in front of her mirror, Ty Lee sat there, applying the smallest amount of make-up that she could to her near porcelain face, just so that it enhanced her features enough to make it look like she looked good without too much effort. Her day had been pretty uneventful, except for rumors of a new family moving into the vacant home right next to Ty Lee's. She was somewhat excited about this, because this brought the prospect of someone new, someone that didn't know what was going on here in this part of the Fire Nation capital. Hopefully, whoever moved there would have children her age, as Ty Lee loved meeting new people. Looking back into the mirror, she pulled her hair down, out of his normal braid, and let the waves of chocolate brown hair fall onto her shoulders, her bangs pinned to the right side of her head, so there was nothing obstructing the prettiness of her facial features.

Hearing a rap at the door, Ty Lee stood up quickly, straightening out her long, kimono-like dress that was silky and light pink-two things the acrobat was quite fond of. She picked up her strapless purse from her vanity and tried to rush to the door, as she didn't want her father answering the door and embarrassing her like her normally would. Surprisingly, her father was handling his daughter's death quite well. Ty Lee thought, however, that it might be somewhat easier, as he had lost his wife already, to cope with the pain of loss. Ty Lee wanted to be strong for him, just as he was being for her, so she was trying to lead her life as normally as possible without letting the death puncture who she was.

As she pulled open the door smiling, Ty Lee's gaze fell upon a handsome Zuko, clad in long, black pants, and a sleeveless, yet elegant, shirt that let his built chest poke out just a little bit. It was somewhat of a fancy, yet casual look, and she thought it suited him quite well. "Hey," He let out, brushing his hair out of his left eye, which was pretty nicely kept at the moment, and continued, "Are you ready to go?" His look was anxious and excited, but, most overall, happy.

"Of course!" Ty Lee exclaimed, nearly jumping down the steps that lead up to her house door. "Are you?" She giggled, waiting for him to reply. However, it took him awhile to, because, for a moment, it seemed as if he was captivated by something about Ty Lee.. Probably how she looked at the moment, as his eyes seemed to be wandering. Upon hearing her voice, however, he shook his head almost violently, his hair breaking free from it's tameness. Grinning, he held out his hand to her, "Yeah, let's have a good time tonight, okay?" She slipped her hand into his and squeezed it lightly. It felt good to her, and now she knew that their lust in Acrobatics wasn't just for fun.. It was actually turning into something. Their hands never broke until they got into the restaurant, where they pretty much needed to be separated in order to sit across from each other.

--

In summary, their date consisted of good food and tea, surprisingly normal- opposed to awkward- conversation, and the ever constant flirting between the two. Overall, in both of their opinions, supposedly, it was a good time, and they both enjoyed it thoroughly. The two simply took the same way back home that they had left, as Zuko had offered Ty Lee a walk home, which, Ty Lee knew, was probably just some kind of scam to get her to stay out later with him, maybe so he could just get some action. However, as they reached her doorstep, Zuko looked at her, he really looked at her, observing everything about her, not only physically, but she could tell he was thinking about who she was as a person, and how well they had gotten along tonight. The two stared at each other for a bit longer, but Zuko was the one to break the silence.

"Ty Lee, I.." He began, an uncontrolled smile crawling across his face, "I had a really good time tonight. Thank you for allowing me your company." He bowed down, hands folded and held upright. How it nearly made Ty Lee swoon when a boy was all proper around her, even though he may simply want to scream out with joy.

Instead of words, Ty Lee bent down and let her soft lips meet his cheek for a few moments. Once she released, she saw that Zuko hadn't opened his eyes, but a dumb grin had been placed upon his face. Giggling silently to herself, she said, "Same to you.. I really hope we can do this sometime soon?" Her tone was playful, yet serious, as she really would like to continue what was going on with Zuko.

Nodding subtly, he spoke, "Yeah, well, if you really wanted to.." He was joking, of course, as he scratched the back of his head, blushing a bit at the attention. "Would you want to go to the Festival of the Fire, once it comes?"

Smiling, wondering if he'd figure out that would be a perfect opportunity for them to hang out on another date, Ty Lee exclaimed, "Sounds great! It's kinda getting late though, so.." Blushing a bit, she continued, "I'll see you tomorrow for sure, alright?"

Grinning as he had been before, Zuko gave Ty Lee a pleasant wave and let out a confident, "Good night, Ty Lee." and began his way home.

--

Alright, well, here it is! The long awaited 'chapter five'! of Deception. I hope you all enjoy it, tell me what you think in a review, okay? I'll work on 'chapter six' soon, promise!


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